CANA Responds to Primates’ Communiqué

HERNDON, Va. (February 5, 2009) – CANA Missionary Bishop Martyn Minns issued a statement in response to the Primates’ Communiqué issued from Alexandria , Egypt , today.

“We are grateful for the hard work of the Primates who met this week in Alexandria , Egypt , in tackling not only important global issues such as the crises in Gaza , Zimbabwe and Sudan but also the brokenness in the Communion brought about by The Episcopal Church.”

“We applaud their consistent stand for biblical truth and the importance of reconciliation between all peoples and their Creator.

“We welcome the Primates’ unanimous reaffirmation of the entirety of Lambeth 1:10 as the Church’s teaching on human sexuality although we are disappointed that they were not unanimous in their call to repentance for those who continue to defy this teaching.

“We also welcome a period of gracious restraint as the Primates describe it but are distressed by the reality that The Episcopal Church continues to initiate punitive litigation on a massive scale. To date, there are at least 56 lawsuits initiated by The Episcopal Church, or its dioceses, against individual churches, clergy and vestries across the country.

“We are saddened to read that within hours of agreeing to this statement Presiding Bishop Schori is already questioning whether the Primates’ call for gracious restraint is something to which The Episcopal Church wants to make a commitment …’the long-term impact of ‘gracious restraint’ is a matter for General Convention,’ she said in a statement.

“We appreciate the encouragement for those of us connected with the Anglican Church in North America to continue to move forward as faithful Anglicans and to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ.” Here

The Convocation of Anglicans in North America (http://www.canaconvocation.org/) currently consists of more than 70 congregations and 150 clergy in 21 states. CANA was established in 2005 to provide a means by which Anglicans living in the USA who were alienated by the actions and decisions of The Episcopal Church could continue to live out their faith without compromising their core convictions. Created as a missionary initiative of the Church of Nigeria , about a dozen of the congregations are primarily expatriate Nigerians. CANA is a founding member of the Anglican Church in North America , an emerging Anglican province that includes about 700 congregations.